MICKEY KAUS says Bush will sign the fence bill in a private ceremony with no publicity.

When I talk about the Republicans acting like they want to lose, this is the kind of thing I mean.

UPDATE: This post from Kate O’Beirne suggests that wiser heads may prevail. And here’s some surprising good news for the GOP effort, from The Hotline:

If you’re ever read a profile of Ken Mehlman, you know he is obsessed with metrics. For him, one of the most important sources of data is a weekly e-mail his political team prepares called the “Weekly Grassroots Report.” It meticulously records the work of tens of thousands of volunteers in targeted states, counties and congressional districts across the country. The data summary allows the RNC to determine which states are meeting goals and which states are falling behind.

The RNC declined to share the most recent report, which was issued Monday. But two independent sources who saw last week’s report professed to be surprised: not only was there no drop off last week, 12 states broke new voter contact records.

Perhaps the GOP base will turn out one more time.